Faith Driven Consumer™ -- the group behind the recent IStandWithPhil.com movement that played a large role in Phil Robertson's return to Duck Dynasty, is tracking the commercial viability of major Hollywood films courting faith audiences. In 2014, the Year of the Bible Movie, studios are targeting 46 million Faith Driven Consumers who spend $1.75 trillion annually. While recent films such as SON OF GOD and GOD'S NOT DEAD are exceeding expectations at the US box office, the organization finds that NOAH has underperformed its opening weekend relative to its potential with a faith-based audience.
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A recent poll finds that Christians are concerned that directors of a faith-based film hitting the big screen soon have fundamentally changed the core message of a Bible story.
During 2014, studios are targeting the 46 million Christian consumers who spend $1.75 trillion annually, and Faith Driven Consumer is tracking the commercial viability of Hollywood's effort. With the impending release in March of the Paramount Pictures film Noah, starring Russell Crowe and directed by Darren Aronofsky, Faith Driven Consumer has questioned members of the film's target audience about whether they are concerned about the controversial deviation from the actual biblical narrative. In the aftermath of the Super Bowl, authorities announced that they rescued 16 minors in the New York City area from sex traffickers. In addition, more than 50 women who were also coerced to work as prostitutes were saved. Police from more than 50 law enforcement agencies spanning New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut arrested 45 pimps in a two-week run up to the Super Bowl. Before the Super Bowl, The New York Times reported that the NYPD had already made 298 prostitution-related arrests this year through Jan. 26, a 30 percent increase over the same period in 2013. CNN also reported on a New York City high-end drug and prostitution bust last week. It seems simple. Do you want to have a good relationship with Christ? Then read the Bible and pray. And be disciplined about it. For some men this comes very naturally, for most men it takes work, and for a few it remains a stubborn source of shame and defeat. We absolutely need to continue to encourage more men to read the Bible every day and to spend time in prayer with God. And it's great if they have the discipline to do it at the same place and same time every day. But some men may also need to hear that they can stay connected to Christ and keep growing by using a variety of strategies to read God’s Word and pray. When I was little, I couldn’t wait to sit down in front of my television set on Thursday evenings. With my bowl of popcorn nearby, I’d munch away and laugh at the antics of iconic TV characters such as the educated and witty Huxtable family on THE COSBY SHOW and the loveable political leanings of everyone’s favorite Republican, Alex P. Keaton on FAMILY TIES. It was funny, smart, and, most of all, family friendly. Today, however, I struggle to give my family those same memories. Most network producers use suggestive dialogue, over the top violence, and gratuitous sex scenes to spice up their plots. Instead of bonding over the laughter of our favorite TV show, I cover my children’s eyes and send them to bed before the last round of Wheel of Fortune. Today as the percentage of single women continues to grow, so do the questions, "Lord, You said you would give me the desires of my heart. Why am I still single?" It seems that singleness to some is like an invisible cloud that denotes a sense of failure. It is like some type of plague. In our society it seems that a cloak of negativity blankets those who are not in relationships. Even at church so much emphasis is put on strengthening marriages and families-which is needed-that many singles are left feeling like something's missing until they are married and have a family of their own. It is like they're in a holding pattern, walking around with question marks over their heads. “So, you’re going to be a pastor.” Have you heard that before—perhaps from a co-worker, family member or long-time friend? Even more, have you wondered what they mean? What is the underlying meaning of their question? Before you get frustrated by everyone’s questions and concerns, take some time to understand why they are concerned. Pastoring is the greatest privilege to which a human could be called. The position is a humbling honor. Prime Minister Stephen Harper toured some of the most important sites in biblical history Wednesday — including where Jesus Christ is said to have delivered the Sermon on the Mount. He also travelled to the Hula Valley, where a bird sanctuary is located and its visitors’ centre to be built in the future is being named in his honour. In a scene reminiscent of a tourist park, Harper and his wife Laureen were driven into a field packed with thousands of cranes that filled the air with high-pitched caws. I don’t listen to secular radio. I haven’t listened to secular radio on purpose since I was saved and tossed thousands of dollars of secular CDs in the garbage. As dark as secular music was back then, mainstream music has taken on a whole new level of demonic influence as popular radio songs work to get our youth to confess they are demon-inspired, if not demon possessed. This revelation came as I was driving across the state of Florida with my teenaged daughter recently and decided to take a listen to what type of music today’s youth finds appealing. I heard the typical Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry hits that were hardly wholesome but not especially wicked. But I also heard tunes from "artists" like Eminem, Rihanna and Imagine Dragons that shocked me. The Bible is full of godly single men who served God faithfully. The prophet Jeremiah, the apostle Paul and, of course, the Lord Jesus come to mind first. However, they suffered difficult lives and died. If they had wives and children, it would have been virtually impossible to both be faithful to their ministry and faithful to their families. In their circumstances, being single was the best life state for what God was asking of them. So, as a general rule, it seems that men who are called to pastoral ministry and singleness are also called to difficult and possibly even deadly ministry, such as missionary work in a hostile culture where a family would be a liability. |
Walter Blackwood
Associate Pastor with The Bridge Community of Faith in Kelowna BC Canada. Archives
May 2017
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